Locust Tree in Fort Ward Park

Almost all of the tree is gone, 
one branch with leaves,
the remaining trunk hammered with holes.

Such holes as these
that offer safety to squirrels and, perhaps, to owls,
are its most defining features 

and will still be so
when the trunk eventually falls  
and begins to fill
the needs of still smaller creatures.

I am also old
and grieved at the price time exacts,
but find in this tree demonstration
of the ancient phrase
that love is expressed in purpose.

An aging core
is able to give more of itself  
than a flawless surface.